The present invention relates to the nozzle on the hose of a vacuum cleaner, and particularly to the brush on that nozzle and more particularly to a spring retainer for that brush.
Vacuum cleaners typically have an intake suction hose to which a nozzle is attached. The nozzle includes a housing with an intake or suction inlet opening at its bottom side. A brush may be supported in the nozzle housing to the rear of the inlet and the brush moves dirt to the inlet passageway. A brush having bristles which project out of the bottom of the nozzle housing to an extent adequate for brushing a flat floor may project out too far when the same nozzle is moved over a carpet, and bristles that are the correct length for a carpet may be too short to brush a floor. In practice, the original nozzle may be replaced when the texture of the surface changes significantly, or a floor brush may be removed to permit use of the same nozzle on a carpeted surface. It is also known to retract a brush in a nozzle by various retraction mechanisms. The retraction mechanisms often include various complicated linkages, swivels for the brush, etc.
It is also known to mold brushes for vacuum cleaner nozzles from plastic material, wherein the brush bristles are integrally molded on a support and the support is held in the vacuum cleaner housing. It is desirable for the brush to be able to "float" in the housing, so that the degree of extension of the bristles will automatically adjust depending upon the nature of the surface over which the nozzle is moved. Various spring arrangements for the brush of the nozzle of an electric vacuum cleaner are known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,329,989 and 2,570,759. Again, known spring arrangements are typically complex and the nozzle includes an excessive number of parts.